City fights pay out over APD officer-involved shooting

Lawyers concerned city's credit rating will take big hit

UPDATED 4:05 PM MDT Apr 29, 2013

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -

The city is on the hook for a multi-million dollar judgement in the case of an Albuquerque police officer who shot and killed an Iraq war veteran.

On Friday, city attorneys asked District Judge Shannon Bacon to clarify some things in the order, but the judge was upset that the city of Albuquerque has questions about the judgment that a jury agreed on in March.

The jury awarded $10.3 million to the family of Kenneth Ellis Jr., an Iraq war veteran who was shot and killed by Albuquerque police Officer Brett Lampris-Tremba in 2010. The jury found the city was negligent to detain Ellis and that Lampris-Tremba used excessive force during the shooting.

"You have given me no tools whatsoever to even have a conversation with you today," said Bacon.

Ellis' family members said the question is a tactic by the city to not pay up.

"It's just a stall tactic to keep from having to write the check. It's frustrating. They're putting my family through all of this. I'd like to put it behind us, and I'm sure the city would, too," said the victim's father, Kenneth Ellis.

The city released a statement Friday, saying, "This case is far from being resolved. We will decline to respond to any comments that were made by others outside the courtroom today."

"There's been a verdict. A judgement needs to be entered. If they want to drag this on for years, then we'll be in the media for years on this," said Ellis.

Ellis said his family will not stop fighting for justice in their loved one's death.

The city plans to appeal the jury's decision.

Copyright 2013 byKOAT.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.